1 December

Povo-Mesiano

Laboratory of Mathematical and Computational Biology
Department of Mathematics

Head: Mario LauriaVisit duration: 30 minutesTour starting time: 14.00 – 14.30 – 15.00 – 15.30Maximum number of participants: 12
Mathematics plays a more and more important role in the study of life sciences. The Department of Mathematics, with other departments and centers of the University, uses mathematical modelling techniques in epidemiology, molecular biology, cardiovascular physiology, to understand the mechanisms that lead to metabolic diseases like diabetes. The laboratory also studies new techniques to analyze high-throughput data in order to identify the molecular markers that are necessary for the early diagnosis of diseases. Visitors will learn about the simulation and analysis software developed by the laboratory, understand the potential of mathematical models in exploring the mechanisms that regulate biological systems, and perceive their positive impact on health.
The laboratory is hosted by the Department of Mathematics, in via Sommarive 14, Povo (TN).

Biophysics Laboratory
Department of Physics

Head: Renzo AntoliniVisit duration: 30 minutes Tour starting time: 14.00 – 14.30 – 15.00 – 15.30 – 16.00 – 16.30 – 17.00 – 17.30 – 18.00Maximum number of participants: 15
The Biophysics Laboratory carries out research work in the areas of neurophysics, heart biophysics, and proton therapy. In neurophysics, in particular, scientists study brain functioning with optical non-linear methods using insects as model systems. In more detail, research focuses for example on memory and learning mechanisms, or the effects of neurotoxic pesticides on brain functioning. The laboratory also investigates the heart and its electro-mechanical activity in particular, and develops models and computer simulations of cardiac electric activity with irregular heartbeat, and 3D virtual models for the planning of aortic valve replacements procedures (TAVI). Scientists also carry out research in the area of proton therapy and nuclear physics. During the visit, the researchers will give computer demonstrations on the studies carried out in neurophysics and in medical physics (which involve different facilities).
The laboratory is hosted by the Department of Physics in Via Sommarive 14-I, Povo (TN).

Heads: Luigi Palopoli; Daniele FontanelliVisit duration: 30 minutes Tour starting time: 14.00 – 14.30 – 15.00 – 15.30 – 16.00 – 16.30 – 17.00 – 17.30 – 18.00Maximum number of participants: 10
The work of the EECS Lab is mainly focused on the development of intelligent systems that cooperate with humans. Visitors will have the opportunity to use the FriWalk (“Friendly Walker”), a smart walker that has been designed and created to help older adults in their daily life. The FriWalk moves around freely in a room, avoids moving and fixed obstacles on trajectories that are similar to those that a human being would choose (planning its movements based on the users’ needs and requests), and monitors emotional states; while doing all this, the person that is using it feels as if moving freely. The friendly walker can be very useful to physicians to prescribe exercise programs to patients in recovery, obtain data on their psycho-physical state, communicate with them. The smart walker can connect and interact with other walkers around it to perform cooperative and social tasks.
The laboratory is in via Sommarive 9, Povo (TN).

Head: Michela DalpràVisit duration: 45 minutes Tour starting time: 9.00 – 10.00 – 11.00 – 12.00Maximum number of participants: 15
In the morning, visitors will have the opportunity to visit the premises of CUnEdI (University Centre for Intelligent Buildings) to learn about the research work of the centre in the design and planning of buildings that aim at giving a better quality of life to people with impairments or disabilities. In particular, the researchers will present the work performed under AUSILIA, Assisted Unit for Simulating Independent LIving Activities, a project whose purpose is to design internal and external prototypical spaces to test the abilities of patients, which have been identified by healthcare professionals thanks to the instruments and surveys carried out by the other project partners (the Department of Industrial Engineering, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, the Center for Biomedical Technologies, the “Abilita” service of the Provincial Healthcare Service). http://www.dicam.unitn.it/145/cunedi-centro-universitario-edifici-intell... IThe Centre is hosted by the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering in via Mesiano 77, 38123 – Trento (TN).

CIBIO - Centre for Integrative Biology

Head: Emiliano BiasiniVisit duration: 60 minutesTour starting time: 14.00 – 15.00 – 16.00 – 17.00Maximum number of participants: 30
The last ten years have witnessed an unprecedented revolution in biology. The availability of complete genome sequences for many species and the increasing affordability of techniques for the global monitoring of macromolecules in cells are providing the basis for the understanding of living tissues, both in their physiology and in the determinants of their diseased state. The Centre for Integrative Biology – CIBIO – at the University of Trento will pursue the task of creating a suitable environment for merging classical cellular and molecular biology approaches with the new powerful tools of systems and synthetic biology. With the contribution of other University departments, like chemistry, physics, informatics, mathematics, and engineering, CIBIO is a research centre with an integrative view of basic biological processes and of their derangement in disease. The visits will begin with a brief presentation of the Centre, its main research areas, the techniques used by the different laboratories. The participants will then visit the laboratories along a path that includes a 4 or 5 stops where they will receive simple and easily understandable information on a given technology and its applications in biomedical research.
The Centre is in via Sommarive 9, Povo (TN).